Ilsa Loves Rick at By George Austin!

I am thrilled to announce that the Ilsa Loves Rick line is 

now available at By George, Austin, Texas in the heart
of the burgeoning South Congress shopping and
entertainment district. Sharing some of the best names in the
fashion and design industry  with the flagship North Lamar
store, By George SoCo blends the best in new and
established collections.

You can find more info online at:  

www.bygeorgeaustin.com

Must See: TangenT at Hack Philadelphia

If you are in Philadelphia on Saturday April 28, join

Yvonne Love, William Cromar and me for a viewing 

of Refraction a TangenT Art Collaborative art work 

at Hack Philadelphia, 519 Walnut Street from 

5 to 8 pm. 

Must See: The Girl at Tribeca Film Fest

After 10 years in the making, The Girl, the latest film by director David Riker and (my producer husband) Paul Mezey, premiered to a sold out audience at The Tribeca Film Festival on Friday night.  The film which stars Abbie Cornish and Will Patton plays at several venues in New York through April 29th.

Film Synopsis - "Emotionally distraught from losing custody of her son Georgie and running out of options to earn a living to win him back, single mother Ashley (Abbie Cornish) becomes desperate when she loses her job at a local Austin megastore. So when the risky opportunity arises to become a coyote—smuggling illegal immigrants over the Texas border—she takes it. The harrowing experience results in unforeseen rewards and consequences, as Ashley forges an intense bond with a young Mexican girl who forces her to confront her past, accept the mistakes she's made, and look to the future. "

Says Cornish of the film, "This was the most intense, beautiful and collaborative filmmaking experience I've ever had… [The film] has a heartbeat, it has a soul."

Critic Steve Ponds of The Wrap sums up the festival performances this way "The actress whose star shone brightest on Friday at Tribeca was clearly Abbie Cornish, whose startling performance in David Riker's drama "The Girl" drew raves."   

For more details and show times go to:

http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/girl-film42651.html#.T5RBeo6aPdU

Shop Talk: Alina Alter, Owner, Aoki in Philadelphia

After what seems like a long list of favorite small boutique closures downtown, there is finally an opening to celebrate in Center City Philadelphia! AOKI located at 115 South 22nd Street (between Sansom and Chestnut) is the kind of perfectly edited boutique that makes you want to shop again.  Artfully presented objet trouve for the home, fabulous frocks, and a dazzling collection of accessories, AOKI is the new shopping destination with an easy-cool urban appeal steps away from Rittenhouse Square.  This charming and inviting space feels less like a typical boutique and more like you have stumbled into someone's home, equal parts loft and pied a terre, with a swoon worthy closet. It is the brain child of Alina Alter, proprietor, trend setter, style maven (okay, I am gushing...) and savvy young business woman who recognized that downtown needed a place where fashion meets lifestyle in an unpretentious way.  You will go there for the finding and you'll want to stay for the atmosphere.

Must See: Cindy Sherman at MOMA

Cindy Sherman one of the most important and influential artists in contemporary art and was a major influence on my early career as a photographer.  For over thirty years she has explored identity and the nature of representation, drawing inspiration from pop culture and art history.  At a special viewing for artists in the collection in late February,  I had the treat of viewing the 170 images without the bustle of large crowds.  After two hours, I left more impressed than I had been by her all these years, her range of guises and personas which are at turns amusing and disturbing, distasteful and affecting, were all the more provocative when viewed as a whole  in one perfectly edited space. My favorites remain the "Untitled Film Stills" (1977–80), the black-and-white pictures that feature the artist in stereotypical female roles inspired by 1950s and 1960s Hollywood, film noir, and European art-house films. But her photographic murals premiering in this show, are a tour de force. At MoMA thru June 11.

Introducing The Full Moon

A stunning three quarter inch forged dome set atop a hammered shank in 14k gold and 14K gold filled.

What I Love About April

The Creatives: An Interview With Lynn Peterfreund

Luck is an odd thing. It happens when opportunity meets readiness, when you find a $20 folded up in the pocket of a jacket that you haven't worn in a couple of seasons, and when you win the door prize at bingo night (not that i have been to bingo night, but you know what I mean).  Good fortune on the other hand is what you hope for in the middle of the night when your fear of saying it out loud might just jinx it.  It brings us our livelihoods, our partners, our children, and our closest friends.  While the gods have smiled down on me a number of times in this regard,  they were having a full blown belly laugh in May 1985. That's the year I first met Lynn Peterfreund, and it marks the start of a soul-mate-sister-friendship that has lasted a lot of living. She is a brilliant artist who boasts mastery at printmaking and painting alike, with an enviable resume of awards, exhibitions, and teaching appointments. Lynn's work can be found in galleries and collections up and down the eastern seaboard and in the permanent collections of Yale University Gallery of Art, the Portland Museum of Art, the DeCordova Museum, the Smith Museum of Art, the Hood Art Museum, and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum just to name a few.  You can view her art at http://lynnpeterfreund.com.

                                                                                                   

What do you see trending now in fashion?

Lots of mixed textures and more color…The young people I work with are wearing tights, short witty dresses, heels or colorful sneakers, and odd combinations that come out as inventively stylish. I’m old  enough to have been through the source decades for some of the retro styles I see in dresses and I still feel they can be confining and way too prim for women of then and now. I love seeing fashion that pops like collage.

What are your top 10 TIMELESS must have items for a best dressed closet?


Excellent jeans—comfortable and flattering. I have jbrand and some pairs of “not your mothers jeans” as well for their flex factor.  Terrific black dress(s), black jackets, black skirts, black shirts, black pants, good oxford shoes, good boots, lots of good quality camisoles, some cashmere sweaters, and an array of jewelry that can liven up any simple combo. I don’t take time to change handbags so I use one that can go city/country, night/day.

When was the last time you had a fashion epiphany?


That, as I get older, I am comfortable with enjoying what I wear and care less if it’s over or under dressed for any given occasion.

What is your favorite High brand?  And your low brand?  How do you mix high and low?


My high brands aren’t that high…I have two Nicole Miller items. My favorite medium brands White + Warren sweaters—oooh cashmere….Most of my clothes are on the low-end side—J.Crew, J..C. Penney, Target and  they suit my art studio daily life. 

My advancing age allows me to justify two other high brands...

I think of amortizing the cost of Varda shoes and Robert Marc eyeglasses.

Feet have to be comfortable and stylish enough, and eyeglasses have to be an fashion asset, as I wear them all the time.

What is your go-to uniform for a day of work?  The weekend? 


Uniform for the studio: jeans, camisole, tee shirt. Overheated studio means camisole and smock most of the time. Always rings,  earrings, necklace, bracelet from a extensive collection that allows me to intuit a color, a stone, a jewelry companion for the day. That’s where I dress and overdress and enjoy the connection jewelry pieces have to people and places in my personal history.

Weekends can be just like weekdays but if I'm in the city (New York is my city) I do it up in

leggings, a dress or skirt and sweaters, light leather jacket, long wool coat.  Besides the jewels, real red Lucchese cowboy boots and colorful Arche shoes are the spark for the black outfits I end up in most of the time.  I recently had a birthday where I donned all the sequin items I own. Some occasions just call for a costume.

What is your favorite ILR piece and why?
I love the design and quiet surprise of the whole collection—I would be wearing more of it if my jewelry box were not already full to overflowing. The Interlocking rings are classic and I look forward to wearing one, custom made in 14K.  I love the cuffs, the simple necklace pieces and their relationship to surprising dark chains. The leather work is stunning but I am committed to shiny metal things.

Who are your fashion icons?

I’ve always liked  Elegant Armani but I totally enjoy Lady Gaga and Bjork and other
Artists in clothing.  Even though black is my go to color, I love to see people in full on color.